Google spent more than 20 billion USD to take over the default search right on Safari.

According to the latest report, Google has paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to become the default Safari search engine.

Bloomberg reported that Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to become the default search engine for Safari on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The information was revealed in court documents provided by Google in its antitrust lawsuit with the US Department of Justice.

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The DoJ has accused Google of having a monopoly on search, and in its case against Google, the search engine deal with Apple is the main focus. In November, lawsuit documents indicate, Google paid out 36% of all revenue earned from searches performed on Safari, and now that figure equates to $20 billion.

Google has been the default search engine on Apple devices since 2002, although the agreement has been renegotiated several times. Apple and Google have tried to keep the terms of the deal secret. However, many technology experts also know that Google is paying Apple billions of dollars every year.

In October last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the agreement between Apple and Google made it impossible for search engines like Bing to compete. Microsoft once wanted Apple to buy Bing, but "Apple House" was not interested. Microsoft representatives blamed Google, but Apple leader Eddy Cue said the company was concerned Bing could not compete in "quality and capabilities". Mr. Cue stated, "Apple Defects" uses Google as the ‌iPhone‌'s default search engine because Apple "always thinks it is the best tool".

Google is the default search engine on Apple devices in most countries. Of course, users can turn to Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia as alternatives. Changing the default browser engine can be set in Safari.

In Europe, the Digital Markets Act required Apple to make changes to how the browser works. Users in Europe can choose the default browser when setting up their ‌iPhone‌ and have more options than iPhones in the US.

If Google loses the antitrust case, the agreement between Apple and Google could be canceled. Arguments will soon end this week, with the judge's decision expected by the end of 2024.